Construction to begin soon on George Shinn Event Center

Lipscomb University will break ground this fall on a two-story, 33,000-square-foot George Shinn Event Center that will be located adjacent to the Ezell Center.

The facility will house the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts and will include a grand, two-story lobby; collaborative classroom and studio space; a cinematic editing and viewing studio; offices; and a state-of-the-art event hall, that can seat up to 1,000 people and will be used for a variety of functions including receptions, class lectures, corporate events, dinners and a performance venue among others.

In addition, the facility will feature a large patio area that may also be used for a variety of events. The cost of the project is estimated to be $10-$11 million. Tuck-Hinton Architects designed the facility. Booking for the George Shinn Event Center has already begun with an anticipated opening in the fall of 2018.

“The George Shinn Events Center will serve university audiences as well as the larger Nashville community with a variety of outstanding programming and entertainment,” said L. Randolph Lowry, Lipscomb University president. “We eagerly anticipate the impact this facility will also have on our students particularly in the entertainment and arts programs as they have state-of-the-art resources to enhance what they are learning in the classroom.”

The George Shinn Events Center is funded by a gift made to Lipscomb University in April by George Shinn, former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. At the university’s Imagine 2017 “Nashville: Prosperity for All Corners of the City” event, featuring Magic and Cookie Johnson on April 3, Lowry announced a $15 million gift from Shinn as an investment in Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts and to fund a new events center among other initiatives. The $15 million gift is the largest in university history.

Lipscomb University’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts is the fastest-growing college in the university, with undergraduate degrees in cinematic arts, fashion and design, contemporary and classical music, theater and dance, and visual arts. Graduate programs include Master of Arts degrees in film and creative media, Master of Fine Arts degrees in film and creative media with writer and director tracks and a Master of Fine Arts/Master of Business Administration blended degree.

Earlier this month, the college’s School of Music was named one of the top 25 music programs in the country. In May, Lipscomb University was given the historic Sound Emporium, one of Nashville’s vibrant recording studios for nearly 50 years, to provide valuable experiences and resources for students in the School of Music. Lipscomb’s School of Music is directed by Grammy Award-winning record producer Charlie Peacock, founder of the school’s contemporary music program.

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